USPTA 2023 Summer Midwest Connection Newsletter

USPTA Midwest

Summer Symposium/Tennis in the LAND

August 24, 2023, 2:00-5:00 pm

MW Social at Shooters on the River, 5:15-6:30 pm

Tennis in the Land WTA 250 Tournament, CLEVELAND OH.

Sunday, 8/20 - Wednesday,8/23 - USPTA Professionals get FREE Admission with Membership Badge

Pickleball Certification/Aug 25, 8:00-12:00 pm

Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony/Aug 25, 12:30-2:00 pm At Shooters on the River Roof Top

President's Message

MATT DAVIS

Greetings USPTA Midwest Members,

I hope all of you are busy with your Summer Programs and enjoying the nice weather we have had so far in the Midwest for outside activities What a great time to be a Racquets Professional in 2023! There are so many more Racquet Sports now as USPTA Professionals we must promote and educate our members and students of our facilities whether you work at a Park, Country Club, Commercial Club or another type of Racquets Venue. Most facilities now have at least 3 racquet sports, and most are showing more and more people are gravitating into the other Sports offered outside of tennis USPTA Professionals now more than ever can be the leaders in their areas growing Tennis, Pickleball, Paddle Tennis and Padel You might not have access to all 4 but they are here to stay and most of your students will have an interest in learning all of them at some point.

It’s almost time for the Summer Symposium in Cleveland, Ohio on Thursday August 24th from 2-5pm the night before we will be attending a Cleveland Guardians game if interested contact Greg Aten our Executive Director (greg aten@uspta org) After the Symposium, we will head over to Shooters on the River to socialize with fellow USPTA Midwest Members. Following the social, the evening Tennis in the Land matches will be taking place which you can attend We will have a Pickleball Certification on Friday August 25th from 8-12pm If interested in registering go to USPTA com, log in and you can register under Pickleball certification Friday afternoon, our Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon will be from 12:30-2:00pm on the upper deck of Shooters on the River with beautiful views of downtown Cleveland

We are looking forward to going to Cleveland this Summer and seeing some of you there For those of you that are going to Cincinnati your USPTA membership card will act as your ticket and can be used as grounds pass like in the past We appreciate the Western and Southern doing this for our members Also, we will be offering a Level 2 exam (Group Lesson) in Cincinnati.

If you need to take the Pickleball Certification we will have a test in Michigan in July and then the one in Ohio at Tennis in the Land We are currently developing more Midwest sites in different states, information will be available soon on the uspta com website.

We wanted to let everyone know that the Midwest Winter Forum will be in Wisconsin at the WAC (Lake Country) on Feb 9-10 It’s been a long time since the USPTA Midwest has held a large conference in the state of Wisconsin, but the Board all agreed it was time The details are currently being worked out by our Education Chair but please save the dates. You will get 15 credits for attending and complete your CEU’s for the 3year period

I want to wish all of you a great Summer and we look forward to seeing you at one of our events coming up in the future Enjoy the Summer Addition of the USPTA Midwest Newsletter.

HELPUSGROWOURSPORT, USPTAMIDWESTEXECUTIVEBOARDOFFICERSWANTED!

TheUSPTAMidwestDivisionNominatingCommitteeisnowacceptingapplicationsfromanyElite orMasterProfessionalwishingtobeconsideredforthe2024-2025slatetobeaMidwestBoard Officer? Current Midwest Board Officers who are interested should also apply to be considered foraposition Thisyear'sUSPTAMidwestDivisionboardtermendsDecember31,2023 Thenext termwillrunfromJanuary1,2024toDecember31,2025

Thepositionsavailableare:RegionalVicePresident,SecondVicePresident,ThirdVicePresident, Secretary/Treasurer,oraStatePresident.

Tobeconsideredforoneoftheaboveoffices,pleasesubmittheinformationbelowtoMikeGraff (mike@baselinetennisnet) by August 15, 2023 We look forward to getting you involved in this greatorganization

2022/2023 Midwest Officers President

Matt Davis • 224-247-2483 tenace4@gmail.com

Regional Vice President John Frausto • 920-860-0751 johnefrausto@gmail.com

Second Vice President Cathy Thomas • 513-218-0782 cthomas6@cinci rr com

Third Vice President Matt Boughton • 715-559-3168 mboughton@ymca-cv.org

Treasurer-Secretary Dan Oliver • 920-227-7005 danonhgb@aol com

Past President Mike Graff • 248-866-0508 mike@baselinetennis.net

Executive Director Greg Aten- 330-283-5837 greg aten@uspta org

State Presidents Ohio

Todd Wojtkowski • 216-905-7463 todd wojtkowski@gmail com

Wisconsin Dan Oliver • 920-227-7005 danonhgb@aol.com

Illinois

Andrew Coon • 314-814-7959 Andrew coonstl@gmail com

Michigan

Kyle Warner • 269-207-9236 kywar8@gmail.com

Indiana TBD •

USPTA World Headquarters 407-634-3050 uspta@uspta org

Midwest Pickleball Update

The USPTA Pickleball certification program has been operating for just over 18 months We are starting to pick up momentum in the Midwest division and are getting more coaches certified Check out some of the current numbers below

40 Coaches Certified

Places We’ve Been To Indianapolis, IN Hartland, WI Elm Grove, WI St. Joseph Michigan Cincinnati, Ohio Cleveland, Ohio Green Bay, Wisconsin Illinois is the only state we haven’t had a workshop in Please contact me if you have connections to get something on the calendar

Upcoming Workshops

Birmingham Racquet Club (Detroit Area)

July 8

Tennis In The Land (Cleveland)

August 25th

Why should you consider getting pickleball certified?

-Job opportunities are now listed as “racquets sports director” and almost all require additional certifications in pickleball, padel, and platform

-Money!! Pickleball is a great way to generate additional income for you and your club

-New options for your membership and students

-Set yourself apart from other coaches in your area

Why is the USPTA process better than the others?

Other organizations have “open” testing for everyone. They will take players with no teaching or coaching experience, put them through a couple hours on the court, and send them away as a certified coach. The USPTA only certifies current teaching professionals who have spent a career learning how to coach, lead, manage, and build relationships with players

How

Does It Work?

Our certification workshop is a 4 hour process that is primarily on court, participating in live play, coaching, and skill work. We cover all shots, how to manage groups, and give best practices for running a successful beginner to intermediate program We also require all students to teach a group lesson during the course, very similar to the “olden days” of the USPTA tennis certification weekend After completing the on court portion, the group lesson, and the online exam, students will be given results.

Feel free to contact me with any questions and to schedule a workshop in your area

Scott Ficks 414-704-5562 scottfickstennis@gmail com

Instagram @scottficks tennis and pickle

FB: Scott Ficks Tennis & Pickleball

Podcast: Order ON The Courts with Scott Ficks (Spotify, Apple, IHeart, etc )

JULY/ 8th

AUGUST/

MIDWEST MIDWEST DATES that RATE DATES that RATE

2023/2024 2023/2024

SEPTEMBER/ 16th 24 - 28th

FEBRUARY/ 9th 10th

Buddy Up Tennis at Green Bay Tennis Center

By Aaron Kolz, USPTA

Here at Green Bay Tennis Center, we have grown very fond of a program that opened the world of tennis to a new group of tennis players over the past four years. We at Green Bay Tennis Center are one of 24 national chapters. Green Bay is the only chapter in Wisconsin in which draws in athletes from 7 surrounding counties from the age of 5 to the age of 55 Our program had a small team back in 2019 with just 16 athletes and 20 volunteers, we just ended our most recent session in which our team has grown from 16 athletes to 28 athletes, 20 volunteers to 50 plus. Our goal is to grow our team in which our entire facility can celebrate our sport together on Saturday mornings. During this program we work on everyday skills, competition, understanding what sportsmanship is and how it looks as well as fitness and of course lots of tennis! Volunteers is what makes our program really feel special as this program has brought a community of tennis players from all around together to help grow the sport and give back to our athletes. To be a volunteer better known as a Buddy it is asked that our youngest volunteer is 14 years but is not limited to just Juniors as any tennis player adult or students in college can be a part of our team In being a Buddy our volunteer acts as a personal coach/ feeder for their athlete of the day. While our Coaches will become more of a task manager and help guide the team through each task that is needed to be achieved in the 90 minutes of our time together. Some of the tasks that get worked on are broken down into either a fitness goal such as building core strength, balance, speed and agility, hand eye coordination. Other tennis goals would be one’s standard strokes learned in a tennis lesson with the end goal of creating an opportunity for the athletes to have a rally to some extent. Buddy Up Tennis runs 3 sessions throughout the school year, with each session having an end of session party. Volunteers are not required to show up weekly, but we encourage everyone to come when they can and as often as they can Our next session is set to start in the middle of October so if you are interested in being a part of our team, feel free to give Coach Aaron Kolz a call or email to get set up to be on the team! Coach Aaron can be contacted about Buddy Up Tennis via phone (920)347-3080 or via email at aaron@greenbaytenniscenter.com

DUNLOP IS PROUD TO PARTNER WITH THE USPTA AND OFFER ITS MEMBERS MORE CHOICE FROM OUR

We’ve got 2,000 sample packs to give away on a first come first served basis, so you can find the right ball for you. Each pack consists of a 3 ball can of: SCAN THE

2023 Hall of Fame

Ohio Pro of the Year - Troy Budgen

Midwest Star Award - Marty Badt

Nancy Mickler Award - Trude Pletcher

High School Coach of the Year - Linda Lied

Large Facility Mgr of the Year - Michelle Witzky

Midwest Diversity Award - Jim Amick

Molly Card Beckmann

Midwest Pro of the Year

Jon Pickett

Illinois Pro of the Year

Chuck Kuhle

Wisconsin Pro of the Year

Aaron Kolz

Fay Tooley Award

Denny Schackter

College Coach of the Year

Todd Wojtkowski

Tim Gullikson Touring Coach of the Year

Erick Martinez

Individual Coach of the Year

Chase Thomas

Small Facility Manager of the Year

Manolito Kehoss

State President Award

Dan Oliver

2023 USPTA MIDWEST DIVISION NANCY MICKLER MEMORIAL AWARD

Trude Mihalovich-Pletcher USPTA

I have humble beginnings in this wonderful world which includes the sport of tennis. My dad was the son of Bohemian immigrants who all seemed to be gifted in every sport available at the time. He was a semi-pro football player, discuss, ice waltzing in the winter, and softball and tennis all summer. In the 50’s I was 5+ and absolutely fell in love with the game of tennis However, I could not find any friends willing to play, and going to the country club where the lessons and courts were was out of the question I hung around at the little court a few blocks away whenever I found anyone who would hit with me Finally, when I was old enough to drive, I signed up for a tournament and lost 6-0,6-0 in my first match. BUT my opponent was ever so nice, and I got to see these 5-year-old twins play in the tourney, Tim & Tom Gullickson.

I am writing about this because I want to offer tennis opportunities to all children, whether they can afford professional lessons or even a racket or a couple of tennis balls It is an amazing sport, and a healthy one in so many ways A lifelong teacher, when Title IX finally came, I was able to be the Girls Tennis Coach at my middle school and high school. I was thrilled and scared. Never having been on a team, how would I learn how to coach? I made it through my first year, and now after coaching almost 50 years, I am more devoted than ever to the importance of introducing children to tennis.

These are some of the opportunities for children and tennis that I have been working on for many years

First, at the high school level, it was clear that not everyone could afford a racket I started by asking friends, then recruiting in the community, and then asking my tennis club members to donate rackets and tennis balls. This has continued to be a goal. I have also been able to receive some grant money to purchase rackets. (My next goal is to start a Little Tennis Library in our CTA areas.)

We wanted to start a community effort to offer tennis programs to much younger children We were so lucky to be at a time when child sized rackets and balls were being introduced and manufactured My good friend Kirk Anderson and I just talked last year about the importance to tennis of this development Now, we really need the cooperation of community parent volunteers as well as expertise from USTA and USPTA. We formed the South Suburban Milwaukee Community Tennis Association and ordered child sized equipment and set up tennis camps for kids aged 5-10 (at that time called 10 and Under Tennis). The inspiring USPTA Rick Vetter came to our courts to train the first parent and coach volunteers. I am so proud today to share that the daughter of one of my former players has now returned from college tennis and is helping run that program

Our next endeavor was to start the Tennis in Schools program My assistant coach and I worked with the PE teachers and went to the grade schools to help them teach their lessons. To this day, we continue our K-12 tennis programs in the physical-ed curriculum!

I will continue to volunteer with “kids” and tennis as long as I can keep moving! I am sure we all can think of a special person to thank for introducing us to tennis Sharing efforts to promote a lifelong healthy and fun activity has given me more rewards than I could ever dream of And, yes, I am also now the neighborhood tennis coach My grandchildren are 6 and 8 and we have at least one child of every age within walking distance. Every sunny day I set the portable net up in the driveway, put out a bucket of every size racket and orange and red balls, and enjoy coaching the next generation of tennis players!

I also would like to add that I am a past president of our Wisconsin High School Tennis Coaches Association and currently volunteer as the coordinator for our annual tennis clinics We have appreciated the USPTA professionals presenting at our annual clinics ever since I was President USPTA Denny Schackter helped us form our first state tennis association, and volunteers to this day to help with planning and speakers. USPTA has been a major part of our success by providing speakers as well as attending and leading our discussions. I am grateful and humbled to receive the Nancy Mickler Memorial Award and want to thank the USPTA.

NANCY MICKLER MEMORIAL AWARD – is presented to the Midwest woman member who has done the most to promote tennis within the Midwest

All Your Fingers Want to Play!

By Annette Malloy, USPTA, Brookfield East JV Tennis Coach, Elm Grove Wi.

Why do many beginner tennis players, adults, and juniors, hold the racket incorrectly? The thumb is up, not around the grip. Index finger is up, not around the grip. Choking up and putting a finger inside the throat of the racket. Flipping the hands for a two-handed backhand (like holding a baseball bat). Hands separated on a two-handed backhand.

Some reasons are lack of lessons and just learning to hit on their own Maybe it feels more comfortable Teaching pros and coaches should notice all the above problems and address and correct them for their students Our goal is to help people play tennis as best as they can, and a proper grip is a good start

I love telling kids especially, but adults can also hear it…” All your fingers want to play!” By wrapping all your fingers and thumb around the grip, the palm of the hand is better secured in alignment with the grip. This hand position keeps the strings or racket face more stable. As you swing through the ball, the stable racket face will give you better control and power. Better contact with the ball or “feeling” the ball on your strings will improve consistency, give you more control and ultimately help you win more points

Tell your students this little tip or if they are more competitive, you can add, “Grip it and Rip it!”

Another quick tip, from a 5-year-old red ball student. As I was teaching her to keep her hands together on a two-handed backhand explaining that they had to touch each other, she said, “oh, like two people kissing!”

Keeping tennis lessons fun will keep your students coming back. Put some humor or fun anecdotes like these into your lessons as you are explaining fundamentals

Executive Executive Executive Board Board Board Meeting Meeting Meeting

Lake Lake Lake Nona Nona Nona

Supporting our High School State Championships

by John Frausto, USPTA Elite Professional

I recently had the opportunity to attend the 2023 Wisconsin High School Boy's State Tournament in Madison, WI in June Attending the state high school tournament offers many benefits and should be considered by all USPTA professionals Here are four reasons USPTA Professionals should attend their state's high school tournaments

1 You get to support your students and their families at the tournament. It means a lot to your students and parents that you attend their matches and lend support; you are practically family to them.

2 You get to network with other coaches and pros We are all very busy and the only time we may get to see these coaches and pros is at these events Who knows what these networking opportunities can lead to in the future

3 It gives you time to decompress and get off the court We are aware of the importance to get away from the teaching court We all got into this industry because we love the game. There is nothing better than watching tennis in this high energy environment and recharging our own batteries.

4 One day it can be a family affair Our son and I have been going to the high school tournament since he was in elementary school. This year as a freshman he and his partner qualified for the tournament

What a great experience and something we could all share as a family!

Wheelchair/Para Clinic

f Gluck, USPTA and Michael Friedman, USPTA

were lucky enough to attend an event that we both felt was INSPIRING! Winnetka, IL, which has a wonderful wheelchair/para program, hosted a chair/Para Clinic ” The presenters, who were FABULOUS, were all from Michigan: Lynn Bender (USPTA), USTA Midwest-Wheelchair Tennis Committee chair; Jaime Oppenlander, USTA Midwest-Adaptive Committee chair; and Val Wallace, a wheelchair player and coach, and a tennis instructor. One of the organizers was Mary Beth Bowman, who is with the Chicago District Tennis Association (CDTA). The overall objective of the clinic was “to share best practices for teaching wheelchair and adaptive tennis at a recreational level with enthusiasm, innovation and relevancy ” What follows is a BRIEF summary of the activities that day

About 20 people attended The morning began with about three hours in a classroom setting, with Lynn, Jaime and Val discussing various aspects of wheelchair/para tennis (part of ADAPTIVE tennis classifications.) Some of the items covered included:

The 3 major categories of adaptive tennis: intellectual and developmental; physical and recovery; and emotional/social

The benefits of participating in these programs for the individual: physically, mentally emotionally The modifications that exist to address different disabilities

Suggestions for on-court activities.

Tips on “best practices for coaching wheelchair tennis.” A list of adaptive programs that currently exist.

Following the in-class portion, we went out to the tennis courts for two activities In one, we were asked to act as if we were para-athletes, with a physical disability but not confined to a wheelchair (e g , physical limitations, mobility issues and others). We were then asked to participate in tennis drills/activities under those conditions. In the other, we were placed in wheelchairs and, with racket in hand, asked to, again, participate in tennis activities (see pictures). These on-court activities were incredibly helpful in helping us to understand what being an adaptive tennis athlete is all about We have SO MUCH RESPECT for these athletes and the people who help coach/guide them!

Finally, as indicated earlier, the Nielsen Center has a program in place It is held from 2-4 on Saturdays Purposefully, the clinic ended at 2. We were then invited to stay on to observe, and even participate in, the established program. Many of us did, with some of us feeding balls to the players. We were in awe of the high level of play, as well as the enthusiasm they demonstrated. To paraphrase Paul Moran, who is a teaching pro at Nielsen AND a wheelchair athlete who has competed at a national level: “Wheelchair tennis provides a wonderful outlet for so many people The benefits are too numerous to count I am hoping that the number of wheelchair programs continues to grow It is a very rewarding activity to be involved in and I hope more individuals decide to do that.” We feel that this is something that the USPTA-Midwest Division should explore. Click HERE for more information.

Case Western Reserve and Coach Todd Wojtkowski, USPTA professional win NCAA DIII Championship

There were many victories for the Case Western Reserve University men’s program over the last few years. But it was the losses that haunted the Spartans, what pushed them through the early-morning workouts and extra practice sessions.

Because for all they had achieved on the court, the biggest prize remained elusive. Case Western had never won an NCAA Division III team title. The Spartans had won several conference titles, two straight ITA National Indoor titles and NCAA individual titles, but they never got to lift the NCAA trophy as an entire group.

That finally changed on Tuesday night.

For the first time in program history, Case Western captured the team title at the NCAA Division III Championships with a 5-2 victory over No 2 Tufts University at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida

Not only was the breakthrough historic for the program, but for the entire university It was the first Division III title of any kind for a Case Western Reserve athletic team, a span that dates over a century.

The top-seeded Spartans (33-4) had reached the final the last two years, losing to UChicago and Emory. Last season’s loss to UChicago was particularly painful for James Hopper. The Case Western senior was on the wrong side of the deciding match that set off the celebration for UChicago.

The tables were turned this year. Hopper, a multiple-time All-American and catalyst for the program’s recent rise back to national prominence, clinched the historic NCAA title with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Rishabh Sharda at No. 1 singles.

“For years now I have dreamed of it. I think everybody does, dreaming about clinching a national title, yet alone winning it for the team,” Hopper said. “It’s a super special moment, and I couldn’t think of a better way to leave Case ”

Case Western’s title preparation started long before this year The Spartans spent part of the pandemic watching “The Last Dance,” a documentary about Michael Jordan that detailed how long it took the Chicago Bulls Hall of Fame guard to finally win his first NBA title.

“Before they got over the hump, he changed everything about the way he trained. He doubled down, and that is what we did,” Case Western head coach Todd Wojtkowski, USPTA professional said. “We changed so much about how we trained. We started giving up a lot more of our personal lives to do more things for the betterment of the team.”

Case Western got off to a strong start against Tufts, sweeping all three doubles matches. Seniors Chris Provenzano and Diego Maza beat Josh Belandres and Sharda 8-3 at No. 2 doubles and Hopper and junior Vishwa Aduru defeated Derin Acaroglu and Vuk Vuksanovic 8-3 at No. 1 doubles.

Wojtkowski made a change to lineup at No 3 doubles, which had been a trouble spot throughout the NCAA tournament. He inserted junior Sahil Dayal and sophomore Ansh Shah for the first time. They made the move look smart by beating Alex Ganchev and Jack Moldenhauer 8-6

Case Western Secured Its First Division III Title © CWS Athletics

Case Western Reserve and Coach Todd Wojtkowski, USPTA professional win NCAA DIII Championship - Cont'd...

“We take so much pride in doubles,” Wotjkowski said. “I always say where you can find out where all the coaching and development happens is on the doubles court, because there is so much strategy involved and so much practice. Most kids don’t grow up working on that.”

Tufts (24-2) answered with the first win in singles as Acaroglu beat Shah 6-2, 6-2 at No 4. Case Western’s Ajay Mahenthiran put the Spartans one win away from the title with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Javier Gonzalez.

Taking in all the action courtside were the Michigan and Virginia Men’s teams. The NCAA is holding a combined championship this year, with Division I, II and III all playing at the USTA National Campus.

“How cool is that to have two of the final eight (Division I) teams literally on the sideline rooting for our guys. That is unbelievable,” Wojtkowski said “I have envisioned that for the past 364 days All I thought is we just have to get there. If we get there, I know it will happen.”

Tufts didn’t make it easy for Case Western. Andrej Djokic beat Casey Hishinuma 6-3, 7-6 to cut the deficit to 42 It fittingly gave the chance for Hopper to clinch the title He turned last season’s heartbreak into this season’s history to set off a cathartic celebration by the Spartans.

The 33 wins are the most in program history. Hopper’s doubles win was the 124th of his career, giving him sole possession of first place in the program record books Case Western’s senior class finished with a 90-13 record over the last four seasons.

But it was the NCAA title that mattered most. After years of disappointments, the Spartans finally hoisted the trophy together

“Someone has to pinch me. I feel like I am still dreaming,” Hopper said. “Crazy, crazy way to end.”

TEXT YOUR PLAYERS LIKE A PRO

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